Asian American History and Its Publics: Practitioners and Scholars Chart Diverse Paths

ABSTRACT

In this forum, a diverse group of scholars and practitioners reflect upon doing work as Asian Americanists with and for non-academic audiences, or various “publics.” Their remarks were originally presented at the Organization of American Historians (OAH) meeting in Los Angeles, California in March 2023. The authors’ experiences were wide-ranging, from curating museum exhibits to advocating for K-12 curricular reform. Though their journeys as public-facing or publicly engaged practitioners and scholars did not begin in 2020 or 2021, these years of intensifying anti-Asian racism were a turning point from which they also emerged with a clarity of purpose and resolve.

KEYWORDS:

• Public scholarship
• anti-Asian racism
• museums
• K-12 education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).